Battle of the Vampyres
by Tsuyunoinochi Koukyo
Summary: A story I had previously posted on Fanfiction, Battle of the Vampyres is hard to explain, because I'm not sure exactly where it's going. It originally was a game crossover, with appearances of characters from various games. It's a good read. I think.
1. New Blood

                                                     **_The various characters from 'Battle of the Vampyres.'_****__**

                                                (They are from video games and movies including various Final Fantasies, SO2, and The Bouncer, and movies like the Matrix.)

Sion Barzahd – Originally from 'The Bouncer.' 

He is a student from Balamb Garden and Dominique Cross' boyfriend.

Squall Leonhart – Originally from 'Final Fantasy VIII.'(I shouldn't really have to explain that…) 

He is the commander of Balamb Garden, Xu's boss, and Rinoa Heartilly's boyfriend.

Rinoa Heartilly – Originally from 'Final Fantasy VIII.'

She is Squall's girlfriend and occasionally steps in for Quistis as the person in charge of War affairs.

Cloud Strife – Originally from 'Final Fantasy VII.'

Yet another student at Balamb Garden and Aeris Gainsborough's boyfriend.

Zidane Tribal – Originally from 'Final Fantasy IX.'

Another Balamb Garden member and Princess Garnet Til Alexandros III's (Also called Dagger) boyfriend.

Yuna – Originally from 'Final Fantasy X.'

She is a student at Galabedia Garden and Tidus' sweetheart.

Gippal – Originally from 'Final Fantasy X-2.'

He is a master of the machine gun, and a student at Trabia Garden.  He is also Rikku's boyfriend.

Baralai – Originally from 'Final Fantasy X-2.'

He is sweet on Selphie Tilmitt (Of Final Fantasy VIII) and a student at Galabedia.  He once visited Balamb and that's how he met Selphie.

Ashton Anchors – Originally from 'Star Ocean 2.'

            Ashton is a student at Trabia Garden.

            Rena Lanford – Originally from 'Star Ocean 2.'

            A member of Balamb's Garden Festival and a student at Balamb Garden.

            Neo – Originally from 'The Matrix.'

            A teacher at Galabedia Garden's new add-on, The Annex.

            Adam Minamoto – Originally from 'Power Rangers.'  (Although his last name was Park and I've changed his appearance a little bit.  And he's only a character; there are no Ranger transformations or anything like that.)

            A newly transferred student from the unheard-of school called 'Ainaveltsac.'  He transferred to Balamb Garden for unknown reasons.

            Dominique Cross – Originally from 'The Bouncer.'

            The sweetheart of Sion Barzahd, she disappeared from the halls of Balamb Garden at midnight.  Rumors have spread that she has been transformed into a vampyre.

            Aeris Gainsborough – Originally from 'Final Fantasy VII.'

            Once competition on for Tifa over Cloud, Aeris now attends Balamb Garden comfortably with Cloud Strife.

            Tessa Chuck – Originally from 'My imagination.'  (No, that is not a television show or an anime or a video game or a movie.  It is literally my imagination.  I made her up.)

            A student at Balamb Garden.  She recently transferred from 'Ainaveltsac' as well, and not much is know about her except for her blood type.

            Dagger (Garnet Til Alexandros III) – Originally from 'Final Fantasy IX.'

            The former princess of Alexandria, she now attends Balamb Garden with Zidane.  Lately she has been acting strange and has skipped quite a few classes to go to an unknown place.

            Tidus – Originally from 'Final Fantasy X.'

            Yuna's missing boyfriend.  After returning to Spira, he came to Galabedia's capital, Deling City, then disappeared.

            Rikku – Originally from 'Final Fantasy X-2' and 'Final Fantasy X.'

            An all-too-perky student at Trabia.  She is Gippal's girlfriend, and she was about to make a transfer to Balamb Garden to train as a SeeD when she disappeared at midnight.

            Selphie Tilmitt – Originally from 'Final Fantasy VIII.'

            The leader of the Balamb Garden Festival.  She was Quistis' most perky pupil, until she was kidnapped at midnight.

            Damien Kragen – Originally from 'My imagination.'  (Yep, that again.  Actually, the last name 'Kragen' is from an R.L. Stine book called 'Bad Moonlight.')

            Damien attends Balamb Garden currently.  He is a lone wolf, as all the former pupils from 'Ainaveltsac' are.

            Claude Kenni – Originally from 'Star Ocean 2.'

            He is somewhat sweet on Rena.  He currently goes to Galabedia Garden.

Author's notes:  These character profiles may not be very reliable, because I don't have everything written down, so their pasts and the Gardens they attend may change.

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                                                                                **_Battle of the Vampyres_****__**

****

**_Chapter 1:  New Blood_**

****

                Squall Leonhart leaned back in his stuffed leather chair.

                (My work is finally done…)

                He sighed and closed his blue eyes, gathering his energy to leave for his dorm room, where Rinoa had most likely fallen asleep waiting for him to return to her. 

                The door burst open, and Xu ran in, carrying a stack of papers.

                "Sir!"  She thrust the pile onto his desk.  "We have an urgent message from Private Sion Barzahd!"

                "Sion…?"  The tired Commander of Balamb Garden frowned heavily, not wanting to think anymore.

                "He is on the Vampyre battlefield."  Xu reminded her boss.

                "Have they decided to ambush us again?"

                "No, actually their leader has been slain.  We can now strike at them."

                "Xu, the Vampyres are smart.  They have spies and followers all over the world.  Nighttime is their time.  They'll have the ritual for a new leader done by morning."

                "Then tomorrow we should conquer their nation.  They'll be powerless to stop us."  Xu's voice rose in pre-estimated victory.

                "Have you forgotten that they have spies even here, in Balamb Garden?  Even if we delete all of the Vampyres that have made themselves visible, whatever forces they have here will retaliate sometime at night.  And _we'll_ be the powerless ones."  Squall angrily replied, his bitter words almost accompanied with a cattish 'hiss.'

                Xu lowered her head, her face dark with the realization that the war with the Vampyres could go on for eternity.

                "Yes sir."  She saluted and began to leave the room, pausing at the doorway.  "Oh, and sir, you can leave those papers for tomorrow.  They aren't as urgent as the news of the Vampyres."  With that, she left, leaving Squall in the large and hollow room, now seemingly empty and lonely.

                (There is nothing I can do.  Until the identities of all of the Vampyres here are revealed, I can't act on any disadvantage of theirs, even one such as this.)

                The young 20 year old stared at the heap of papers on his desk and sighed.  He picked up the small phone near his elbow with great effort.

                "Rinoa?"  He said after dialing a number that was fully familiar to him.  "I'm sorry, I'll be staying late tonight."

                With that, he hung up and dug into his work.

                Around 2 A.M, the Commander had fallen fast asleep, obviously dreams of Rinoa filling his exhausted slumber.  A silluetto of a man stepped up to the boy slumbering upon his desk.  A glimpse of a pale hand slipped two sheets of paper onto the desk.  Then the intruder slipped through the window, as quietly as they had come.

                The next morning, Squall awoke to find two sets of papers, both the same.  An application for Balamb Garden.  Both of the forms were written in flowery, drifty handwriting, but they were for two different people. 

                (They're both coming for interviews at 2000 hours tonight.  I guess I'd better have a good sleep by then.)

                Squall stifled a yawn and grabbed his two stacks of papers he had gone through the previous night.  He dropped them onto a table for Xu to take care of and stifled another yawn before heading to the door.

                As he walked sleepily through the hallways, he spotted a few familiar faces, but he was much too tired to wave to them.

                He neared the dormitory, aware of the students rushing to get to their destination as quick as was possible.  A few stopped to salute Squall, but he dismissed them as fast as they had come.

                Fortunately for him, Xu wasn't able to find him, so she couldn't bother the sleepy Squall with petty papers or a question that Cid would answer better.

                (Sometimes, everyone relies on me too heavily.  They should know I'm not a superman.  I know I'll mess up sometime.  When I do, everyone will get discouraged and disappointed and they'll all say: "If Squall can't handle it, no one can."  I'm not perfect, and they've been trained to know that.  Maybe, when a new leader is appointed, they forget about all of the grievous training they've had to endure their whole lives and then they have to be retaught.)

                At last, he'd reached his destination, his dorm room, tiredness drooping his blue-gray eyes and weakening his normally strong stance.  Squall rushed inside, eager to fall into slumber and forget about everything in existence, to wallow in images of Rinoa.

                His bed's appearance made it clear that Rinoa had once been there, but she was there no more.  Of course, that was obvious, as she had classes and the like.  Since he was sure Rinoa would return sometime during the day, he scribbled a note to her in his thick and bold handwriting:

Rinoa, I have a meeting tonight at 2000 hours, so I'll be sleeping, but I'll be having lunch at 1200 hours, so if you would like to join me, you're 'heartily' welcome to.

**_                                                                                                                Love, _**

**_                                                                                                                       Squall._**

****

                The Commander smiled at his private joke and taped the note to the inside of the door.

                (The last time I taped a note to the outside of the door, Rinoa and I had the entire academy at our lunch table.  I think I'll spare us both the grief of having Selphie snoop around our business.  I think we'll both have a better day that way.)

                Satisfied with his work , he quickly called Quistis to notify her of his absence from her classes all day.  Of course, she understood and told Squall that she would send his work with Rinoa.

                (Did I forget anything?)

                Squall quickly glanced about his small dorm room.  He spotted his gunblade, the tip down to the middle covered in fresh Grat blood.

                (I guess I should clean that off before it dries…)

                He picked up his gleaming crimson gunblade off the floor and carried it down the hallway to the bathroom.  He didn't mind doing this job, as his gunblade, along with his necklace and his ring, were his most prized possessions.  If they fell into disrepair, he was quick to fix them.  In the past two months, he had used up three large jars of silver jewelry cleaner and five large jars of gunblade cleaner.

                In the bathroom, he rinsed the blood off of his gunblade, watching the water turn red.  He yawned half-heartedly, turning off the water and drying the blade carefully.  He sighed as he watched the waterdrops that had rested on the shiny silver disappeared into the plain white paper towel in his bare hand.  Then he carefully set his gunblade down, threw the paper towel away, and slipped his black leather gloves on, gazing at himself in the mirror before grabbing his sword and placing it into its holster, knowing full on it would just be pulled out again.

                Back in his room, he pulled off his gloves and set them on his bedside table, next to the latest copy of 'Weapons Monthly.'  He set his gunblade in its case, the box that rested against the wall near the entrance.  After gazing longingly at it, he pulled off his boots and his jacket, setting them on an empty shelf at the foot of his plain bed.  He opened the window slightly and watched out the window, feeling the beginnings of spring, feeling the beginnings of summer.  Then he sat down onto his bed, rubbing his forehead almost robotically.  Lying down, he turned over to face the wall and closed his eyes, preparing to dream.  Almost instantly he fell asleep.

Author's Notes:  This chapter was to show how dedicated Squall is to his work and to completing whatever he needs to before he gets even an ounce of sleep.  Seriously, I think Squall would do something like that, not sleep until all of his work was complete.

                Oh, and if you want the battle to start soon, it will.  Just not until later, because I'm taking advice from my other story, and I'm building up on the character's personalities and the plot.  Don't worry; I'll get to the battle eventually.  Hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you like the next one even better!

****

****


	2. Meeting

                                                                                    **_Battle of the Vampyres_**

                                                                             Chapter 2:  The Meeting 

Rinoa glanced about the room, seeing her sleeping boyfriend and his scattered garments.  She spotted the note on the closed door behind her and read it, smiling at the joke.  For she knew Squall wasn't one to crack a joke so unexpectedly.  Normally, with Squall, one saw it coming, because he normally debated with himself over whether to tell it or not.  Usually, he was too late and the point of it was missed, and then he would slink off quietly and embarrassed, to be alone.  Rinoa left him alone most of the time, because she knew she wouldn't get anywhere with him anyway.

            (He looks so sweet asleep like that…)

            She focused herself on the task at hand.  After glancing at the black digital clock next to Squall's bedside, which read 1030 hours, she decided to wake him up now.  Then she and him could maybe walk together before lunch, and then maybe walk afterward, too.  The ocean was one of his favorite spots to walk lately.

            She shook him gently, seeing his face stir slightly.  He opened his eyes and shifted toward Rinoa.  He looked at her, then towards the clock.  It was now only 1031 hours.

            "Why now?"  He asked.

            "I want to take a walk with you.  And since you're drowsy, it might take a little time for you to get ready."  Rinoa replied.  "And, of course, I'm willing to help you, n any way that I possibly can."

            "So help me."  He smiled and rubbed his eyes, holding an arm up for her to pull.  She did so, a little too hard, and he fell into her, his lips 'accidentally' bumping into hers.  They lingered like that, getting more and more intimate…until, at the last second, Squall pulled away, his face turning scarlet with embarrassment.  For the couple was at Squall's open window, for all the public to see.

            The brunette quickly walked away, facing the door quietly.

            "I have to get a shower."  He said quietly.

            "I can help!"  Rinoa volunteered readily, jumping up with glee.  Squall shook his head, however.

            "I really don't think Headmaster Cid would approve.  And besides, I don't have all day."

            "All day?"  Rinoa wrinkled her nose disapprovingly.  "No, we would get all pruney!  Maybe just a few hours."  She smiled, leaning towards Squall and kissing him.

            "Ah, I suppose I have a few."  Squall grinned and shut the window.

            "…" Rinoa smiled and jumped onto the bed.  Squall smiled, climbing onto her.  He collapsed as the door was knocked upon.  After gazing at each other for a moment, Squall climbed over to the plain oak door, opening it into Nida's face.  The boys heard Rinoa giggle, and Squall couldn't help but smile.  Then Nida looked up, a large red mark on his face.  He smiled too.  They all burst out laughing, even Squall, who, of course, was trying to hide his it, successful only in making his scarlet face redder.

            "What do you want?"  Squall regained his composure and stood up straight.

            "Oh yeah.  Um…those new students…they're coming at 1700 hours.  Apparently one of them wants to come as soon as possible."  Nida laughed, holding his stomach from the earlier events.  "Never thought anyone would be so anxious to come **here**."

            "Yes, at 1700 hours."  Squall repeated, rolling his eyes at Nida's disbelief in their school.  He nodded, marking the time in his mental calendar.

            "Should I send Xu or Quistis to get you an hour before they come?"

            "…" Squall cocked his head, deep in thought.  "No."

            "Alright."  Nida stood for a moment, as if waiting for something.

            "Dismissed."  Squall saluted the taller man, who mirrored the reaction.  Then Nida left, nodding at both his leader and Rinoa before closing the door.

            "We still have a little time."  Squall offered, his face bent and twisted into remorse.

            "It's okay.  Maybe a little later."  She smiled, but Squall knew what she was thinking.

            (She's probably wondering why she even bothers to date me.  My work interferes with everything, and we still haven't lost our virginity to each other.  I wish I could take a vacation.  Then she and I could have some private time, without the tiny room, without the people disrupting us and all of the gossip and the public.  I wish I could do something…)

            "Should I wait here?"  Rinoa asked.

            "If you want…" Squall frowned.

            "I'll clean your room!"  She volunteered.

            (What's there to clean…?)

            "I'll be right back.  I just need a shower."

            "Okay."  Rinoa seemed enthused and glanced around the room.  She headed right for the bed, picking up the covers from the floor.  She wrapped herself in them, jumping onto the bed.  She looked up, sprawling her body over the semi-soft mattress, trying to look sexy.  She stuck her bottom lip out and widened her soft brown eyes.  Squall smiled at her effort (and her appeal!), walking over to her.  He leaned down and kissed her, craning his neck toward her ear.

            "Maybe tonight."  He breathed.  Rinoa kissed his cheek swiftly.

            "I'll be here…" She whispered.  Squall stood up and smiled, walking to the door and leaving.

Sion smiled.  He couldn't wait to get back to Balamb Garden, back to see Dominique.

            Dominique Cross was his girlfriend, and Sion considered her to be the sweetest girl there ever was.  Since four years ago, the two had been dating.  Kou and Volt had been brutally murdered by a man named Neo, who was the Vampyre killer of each Garden-Trabia, Galabedia, and Balamb.  Squall Leonhart had assigned Neo to kill them, actually.  Kou and Volt had once been former residents of Galabedia Garden, and they had gone to investigate a hidden castle near the Centra Ruins.  They came back and took Aeris Gainsborough, one of the students at Galabedia.  At first, Sion and the rest of the students had presumed her dead.  But then she was spotted at the pub in Dollet and a few places in Deling City.  Also, a few residents had been killed in Dollet, and one in Deling.  The current president of the Galabedian empire, Rinoa's father, had done nothing to stop these murders, so Squall had sent out Neo to find Aeris, if she was still alive, and Sion to investigate the Vampyres battlefield.  So far, he had discovered that the Vampyre's leader, Sir Haaviy, had been killed by a cadet from Trabia, Sora, but he couldn't seem to find the boy, who had reportedly asked for help after a message was received at Balamb.  Which is why Sion was deployed in the first place.

            So far, there was nothing.  There was no castle, no Vampyres, nothing.  And all Sion wanted to do was go back to Dominique.  He had been about to sign a vacation form when Quistis Trepe had come to his dorm, reporting that Squall wanted to see him.  And so Sion had come here, by way of Nida and the Ragnarok.

            He knew that if he gave up now, it would make no difference.  He would still be alive, and he would be praised for finding out the news that he had.  But he wouldn't be happy.  He wouldn't be satisfied knowing that he had only done half the job for twice the pay he normally received.

            (I should stay.  For Dominique!)

            If he could get enough information, then he would **deserve** a good vacation.  Up until now, he hadn't done anything significant in Balamb.  He was a normal student, having a girlfriend, attending classes, having a normal group of friends, going on normal assignments, and visiting his parents in Fisherman's Horizon.  Nothing significant had come upon him until this.  As a boy, he had wanted nothing more than to be famous, to have everyone know his name.  And now, he had that opportunity.

            (I'm not going to discard it now!  I want to be known!  I want to be famous!  I'm not going to give up!)

            A noise erupted from behind Sion.  A strange noise…someone's face was right up to his.  He got a glimpse of pale white skin and raven black hair before something bit hard into his neck…rendering him helpless.  Three pale skinned attackers carried the limp body off, leaving the blood leaking from the neck.

            Rinoa sat at the Cafeteria table, her eyes closing out of boredom.

            "Rinoa!"  Her eyes popped open at the mention of her name and she saw Squall walking towards her, avoiding the students who gave him strange looks.

            "Hey."  Rinoa smiled and flashed her brown eyes as her boyfriend sat down.

            "Sorry I'm so late.  There's so many problems I have to care for…"  He seemed out of breath, and his face was slightly crimson.  "I ran down here from the Bridge.  Xu had found me, and she said something about the low supplies on hot dogs."

            "What did you do?"  
            "I let Quistis handle it.  All she had to do was call Balamb and tell them we need more hot dog ingredients.  Then she's done."

            "Why doesn't Nida just fly over to Balamb and get some more supplies?"  Rinoa asked, thinking of the most logic.

            "The Ragnarok is strictly forbidden from performing under any other circumstances besides emergencies."

            "Oh…"  The raven-haired girl lifted her perfect eyebrows, her eyes twisted in confusion.

            "It means that the Ragnarok is here for emergencies, and emergencies only.  If we let it go out for little things, then an emergency came up, we have no quick way to get wherever we need to go."

            "I like it better the short way."

            "Me too."

            They were silent for a little, their eyes connecting once in a while.  Occasionally, Rinoa would smile and Squall would mirror her, but the couple mostly stayed to their food.  For the cafeteria was rapidly filling with students, all of whom were visibly interested in their Commander's relationship.  You could easily see the questions in their faces, the gossip waiting in their mouths, and the mockery and curiosity in their eyes.  Each waited for a simple sign of a serious relationship-a kiss, or hand-holding.  Maybe laughing.  Or the two of them running off together, assumably heading for the Dormitory.  But, after a few moments of complete and utter silence between Squall and Rinoa, they took the hint and went back to their business.

            "Squall…can we go for a walk now?"  Rinoa asked, sipping her coffee.  Squall nodded, gathering up his things.  He had seemed somewhat tired and distant during their lunch.  Rinoa decided to only go for a short walk, and then she would let him rest.

            Their walk didn't last long, anyway.  A cadet named Yuna found Squall and reported to him that Xu and Quistis had some more news of the Vampyre situation, this time from Neo.  She refused to state anything important because she was ordered to find Squall and report the critical spots to him, and to him only.  She said she wasn't permitted to reveal too much.  Rinoa was fine with that, and she smiled at Squall, still slightly worried about his lack of sleep. He nodded to her, signaling that he was alright.  Rinoa reluctantly nodded and walked away.

            It was 1700 hours and Balamb Garden's Commander sat waiting in his dark office.  It was nightfall, and the two students had not yet arrived.

            (Damnit!  I'm not going to have time for Rinoa now…because when they get here, and after they leave, I'm going to be too tired to do anything.  And I forgot to clean my gunblade…)

            The boy sighed and added the task to his mental list of things to do.  The door opened and Xu walked in.

            "The students have arrived, sir."  She announced, biting her lip nervously.  Squall knew that she despised the formalities.  But something else appeared to be bothering her.  A moment later, she mouthed the words 'Good luck' to him and left, her boss confused and open-mouthed.

            As she left, two people stepped in.  They were more like shadows, really, because most of their bodies were in the shadows.  One of them stepped out, a male, it appeared.  He donned a black leather trenchcoat, black leather pants, and black boots, most likely real leather.  His hair was extremely short, black, and spiky.  There were a few thick pieces of hair near the front, about shoulder length and face-framing.  Bangs, Squall presumed.

            His face was slightly hidden by his hair, and his eyes were hidden by the dark black glasses he wore high on his nose.  His skin was pale, but perfect, not a scratch or a scar to be seen.

            The second figure appeared to be the female, although an awkwardly assembled female she was!  Her outfit resembled the male's, only hers was more diverse in the detail and the materials, and she had fingerless leather gloves as well.

            Her hair was black, as was the other's, but it was longer and darker.  Overall it was chin length, with choppy layers cut all around her head.  Squall guessed that if she straightened out her heavy spiral curls, her raven colored locks would be at least shoulder length, if not longer.

            Her face was barely visible, as her curls swarmed over her face, hiding the left side.  She also wore black glasses high on her nose, hiding her eyes.  Her skin was as pale and as perfect as the male's, perhaps a bit paler.  But her skin appeared softer, more inviting.  Her lips were pursed into a scowl that resembled Squall's almost perfectly.

            The 20 year old glanced at the pair, analyzing them, envisioning them in battle.  He couldn't think much of them, though, because whatever muscles they possessed were hidden beneath their leather outfits and their weapons were sheathed and hidden from view.

            "I presume you to be Adam Minamoto."  Squall stood in from of the male, then moved over to the female.  "And Tessa Chuck."

            After a slight pause, the male burst into laughter-in a high pitched tone only fit for a female.

            "I'm Tessa Chuck!"  'He' laughed.  "This is Adam Minamoto!"

            Adam removed his black glasses, putting them in an unseen pocket and unsheathing obvious male oriental eyes.  They were surprisingly a light, pale blue.  They matched Squall's almost exactly.  He actually shivered, and Adam looked up, directly into Squall's eyes.  Squall felt a chill run throughout his body, a cold chill that drove fear into his mind and rattled his bones.

            Squall fought to regain his composure, and he saw Adam's eyes fill with sorrow.

            "Show me your fighting stance."  Squall commanded Tessa.  She immediately sheathed her daggers, settling down into a standard short sword stance, narrowing her scowl and lowering her head.

            "Good…"  Squall said.  He didn't like the way she looked down at the ground, and he made yet another mental note to have Quistis fix that, if Tessa would get in, of course.  There was no doubt that she would, as she appeared to have serious previous training.

            (Now all she has to do is pass the physical examination by Doctor Kadowaki…)

            "Adam."  Squall turned.  "Your fighting stance."

            The boy immediately widened his feet and sheathed a long, heavy gunblade.  It glinted brilliantly under the overhead light, casting a shining silver light on the wall.  As Adam fell back and relaxed into his position, Squall knew something looked familiar about it.  And then it just washed over him.  That was **his** stance!  **His** weapon!  This boy appeared to be a mirror to Squall's personality and his appearance.

            "O-okay."  Squall tried to make his stutter as inaudible as possible, but Adam's ears picked up on that and he lowered his eyes, returning to normal. 

            As the students and the Commander stood motionless, Tessa pulled out a stack of papers.

            "The physical evaluations of Adam and myself at our old academy, sir."  She saluted and handed him the stack.  He glanced them over, seeing that both of the recruits were in top condition.

            "Adam…it says here that you were born in 3015.  Is that correct?"

            "Yes, sir."  This was the first time the boy had spoken during the entire hour they had been here, and Squall was shocked to hear a deep voice fit only for a man about 20 or so.  Now granted, it wasn't superiorly deep; it was maybe light or medium; but it was definitely deep for a 15 year old.

            Tessa, on the other hand, was 18 and sounded like she was 3 or 4.  Her fighting stance was almost perfect and according to the e-mail Squall had received from their former school, her grades were great, but judging from her behavior during the meeting, she seemed like yet another Selphie.

            "You will be back here tomorrow?"  Squall asked, speaking mainly to Adam.  He handed the papers to Tessa.

            "Yes."  The girl replied for Adam,  since he made no effort to reply.  "At 1700 hours."

            "Good.  I'll see you then."  Squall smiled at Adam, but the boy only lowered his head and walked away.  Tessa grabbed his hand and smiled at Squall, then she left.

            (How strange…)

            Squall figured that Adam and Tessa were dating, but he couldn't seem to find their similarities.

            Finally he gave up and left his office, locking the door.  He smiled to himself and headed to his dorm room, preparing himself for a long nap.

            **_Author's Notes:  This was a load longer than my usual chapter.  I guess I just got caught up in it, and so I had to expand.  Yeah, so the third chapter isn't going too well.  I was expecting it to be much easier to write, but it isn't.  Oh well.  See you next time!_**


	3. Mystery

Battle of the Vampyres Chapter 3:Mystery 

****

****"Geez! Doesn't that kid ever talk?!" Zell ran up to Squall, his eyes rolling.

"What 'kid?'" Squall asked calmly.

"That Alex kid…the new one!"

"Adam Minamoto?" Squall asked.

"Yeah! I've known that kid for at least half a month, and he hasn't said one word to me yet!" Zell waved his arms around wildly, trying to make a point.

"Maybe he doesn't like you."

"Who doesn't like me? C'mon man, he's gotta know I saved the world!"

(I saved the world. You helped.)

"…"

"Hey, where's Rinoa?" Zell suddenly asked.

"Oh, she's…" Squall stopped, realizing he had no idea to the whereabouts of his girlfriend. "…here somewhere."

"Oh. Well, tell her I said hi. I'm gonna go find Alex and make him talk!" Zell ran off before Squall could correct him on the name.

Later, Rinoa sat in the Quad, gazing at the plain walls. Her eyes scanned everything critically; she seemed to be looking for something. Someone sat down beside her, and she looked over.

"Hey." Squall smiled. "Where were you?"

"Here. I was…waiting." Rinoa responded dully.

"For who?"

"…You. I was curious about Adam."

"What about him?" Squall narrowed his eyes, perhaps in jealousy?

"Where did he come from?"

"…"

(I'm not supposed to give out that information, but…)

"Please?" Rinoa smiled, her eyes flashing.

"…A school called Ainaveltsac."

"I've never heard of it…"

"Why'd you wanna know?" Squall asked curiously.

"He is just so…mysterious. He's said two words to me in the month I've known him, and that was 'I'm sorry' when he bumped into me in the hallway."

(You've got a heads up on Zell.)

"So he's a quiet person. His social standings don't matter in this school; his academics and fighting stances do. And both he happens to be extremely dedicated to." Squall said to his girlfriend, slightly angry at her questions toward the new student.

(I am the Commander of this school, the leader and here I am participating in the activities, the gossip I've always hated. I shouldn't be talking about my students. I shouldn't even be here. I should be doing work, not hanging around an socializing.)

"I know…I'm in his class." Rinoa was saying, not noticing that Squall wasn't with her. "But…" She looked at the ground. Squall glanced at her, facing the silence for a reply. "He's so shy. So quiet. He looks so sad all the time…and so scary."

"Scary?"

"Well…I've never him eat…and his skin is so pale. In the dark, it's like…"

Something clicked in Squall's head.

"Rinoa, have you ever seen him in the light?" he asked her suddenly, seeing the startled look on her face.

"Uh…no. Was he at the party earlier, in the sun?"

"I don't think so…Zell might know. He was looking for him."

"For what?"

"He complained about Adam's quietness too." Squall frowned. "When Adam bumped into you, did you touch his skin?"

(I can't believe I asked her a thing like that…)

"Um…slightly. He always wears those baggy clothes, so… But I felt his arm, because he swerved into me. I think he was pushed…"

"How warm was it, if you noticed?" Squall prodded, not liking his questions one bit. What was he thinking? Why would Rinoa care how warm Adam's skin was? Why would she notice?

"…Freezing. There was no warmth to it…at all. It was like…death in a temperature." She snapped her head up, realizing what she said.

"Vampyre!" They shouted in unison.

"Wait." Squall raised a finger to stop Rinoa's outburst from coming. "I don't know too much about Vampyres. We should research this first, and then make our conclusions. Maybe he's just a loner, or one of those Albino people. That would explain why his skin is so pale and why he doesn't go into the sun, because his eyes are sensitive to the sun."

Squall considered his own words.

(No…Albino's don't have any hair on their bodies. His hair is surely not a wig; he moves around too much in battle for it to be so.)

"We'll research them tomorrow, okay?" Squall smiled. "Tomorrow in the light."

"But…what if he comes after us?" Rinoa asked.

"…" Squall pulled a cell phone from his pocket, dialing a number.

"What are you doing?" The black haired girl asked.

"…Calling Nida. I'll have him…" Squall paused as the phone was picked up. "Hey Nida? Could you get Neo on the phone?…You haven't heard from him?…Well, what about Sion?…He disappeared too?" the first hint of fear appeared in Squall's eyes. "Could…yes, I will tell you why…Listen, could you get someone to research Vampyres for me? The data will have to be due tomorrow."

He paused for a moment, listening.

"Someone who is good on the computer…What are the names of the students who didn't have classes today?" he listened to Nida's voice on the other line.

"This…Cloud Strife guy…and Rena Lanford. Have them both work together and get the paper to me…Yes, I will extend their curfews…Okay."

Rinoa watched Squall quietly, observing his actions. She was still scared stiff of Adam, or perhaps of the situation in general.

"Yes, I'll tell you the problem later. Right now it's late…yes, tomorrow! Once I have Cloud and Rena's research on my desk tomorrow, and once I confirm my suspicions, I will tell you!" Squall began to lose his temper; he was scared too.

"Goodbye." He closed the phone and walked over to Rinoa, embracing her tightly.

"Maybe he isn't a Vampyre. He could be fooling with us." Rinoa smiled, hoping for a positive reaction from her boyfriend. She received a negative one instead.

He scowled.

"Not likely. He seems too dedicated to his work to be fooling with us."

"W-will you sleep in my room tonight?" Rinoa knew she sounded meekly seductive, but she honestly didn't care. She wanted to feel safe, and the only way was to have Squall with her, protecting her.

Despite the sexual tone in Rinoa's voice, Squall nodded, his eyes far away and his lips pursed.

"Yeah, sure." He stood up stiffly, tucking the cell phone away and held Rinoa closer to him, feeding her heat and comfort.

That night, she lay comfortably in his arms, her eyes wide open and focused on Squall's. He was already asleep, his face completely angelic to the eye. A small smile rested across his face, a comfortable smile. It was like he had completely forgotten about the Vampyres. At the moment, he was dense from sleep…and helpless. If Adam were to come into the room to sample their blood, Squall wouldn't be able to fight back. In the night, humans were free game for the Vampyres. Even the strongest people had weaknesses. For humans toward Vampyres, the night was their disadvantage.

Regardless of the security that she felt next to Squall, Rinoa couldn't sleep. Not a wink was to be gotten until it was clear Adam wasn't a Vampyre.

She thought about her knowledge of a Vampyre. She had written a paper on them in 8th grade, a rather bad piece of work with hardly any useful information at all. She hadn't wanted to do the research then…but now she realized that she should have. What did she remember…? That Vampyres were not always hostile. Could this be the case with Adam? Perhaps, but… Vampyres were also immune to time's passing, and they did not age.

Also, Vampyres were hard creatures to kill, and the only paths to their demise were to use a wooden stake, holy water, or a religious symbol of some sort. The last two, the holy water and the religious symbol, were hard items to find, as only the Ancient Centra had produced them and they were now an extinct species. The only hope was to use a wooden stake, and only Esthar made them anymore. Besides, it wasn't guaranteed they would work, because the Vampyres could have developed some immunity to them over the centuries that had passed between the present and the past, in which a Vampyre had roamed the streets much too freely, preying on those who were innocent.

Nothing else she could remember helped, and she wasn't even sure what she did remember helped much.

The trail of thought coming to a conclusion, she reluctantly decided on sleep. If she was going to help Squall with the research, she had to be well rested and patient.

That being thought, she turned towards Squall's sleeping form, wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, imagining Squall in the flower field with her…alone…

But as Rinoa drifted to sleep land, Squall had thoughts of his own. Unbeknownst to Rinoa, he was as awake as well, wondering if Adam was a Vampyre. If he was…Tessa most likely was one as well. And since Adam and Tessa were as strong as Squall and Rinoa were, if they truly were Vampyres, then…the battle might last forever.

Squall hardly remembered anything about a Vampyre, much less how to stop one. He hadn't been required to study them for the Ancient Centra course's final exams, so he hadn't.

What he did remember (from what Neo had told him), was that a Vampyre sometimes couldn't cross running water. But who knows if that would be true now? It had been over 1000 years since the last Vampyre had been seen. Maybe they didn't even exist any more, and this Vampyre thing was a hoax. But why would someone fake a Vampyre's appearance? Maybe it was a cover-up…some fake Vampyres went into 'hiding' to get Neo, the Vampyre genius, away from Garden so that the real Vampyres could attack…

(No…that wouldn't fit right. I've got to get my head on and stop dreaming! My job isn't to think up stories, it's to protect the students of this school! They need me!)

All thoughts shoved aside for the moment, he rested his stiff body against Rinoa's and let all of the shoved away thoughts fly out the window unanswered as he settled his brain down for sleep.

**__**


End file.
